The plate-toothed giant hutia (Elasmodontomys obliquus) is an extinct species of rodent in the family Heptaxodontidae. It is the only species within the genus Elasmodontomys. It was found in Puerto Rico.[1]
| Plate-toothed giant hutia Temporal range: Late Pleistocene
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | †Heptaxodontidae |
| Genus: | †Elasmodontomys Anthony, 1916 |
| Species: | †E. obliquus
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| Binomial name | |
| †Elasmodontomys obliquus Anthony, 1916
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| Synonyms | |
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Heptaxodon obliquus | |
Description edit
The rodent is thought to have weighed 13 kilograms (29 lb) and survived for at least 2000 years after humans colonised Puerto Rico.[2]
Taxonomy edit
Despite being described as a "giant hutia", it has recently been recovered as a member of the Chinchilloidea.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005). "Infraorder Hystricognathi". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 1538–1600. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ^ Turvey, S. T.; Oliver, J. R.; Narganes Storde, Y. M.; Rye, P. (2007). "Late Holocene extinction of Puerto Rican native land mammals". Biology Letters. 3 (2): 193–196. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0585. PMC 2375922. PMID 17251123.
- ^ Marivaux, Laurent; Vélez-Juarbe, Jorge; Merzeraud, Gilles; Pujos, François; Viñola López, Lázaro W.; Boivin, Myriam; Santos-Mercado, Hernán; Cruz, Eduardo J.; Grajales, Alexandra; Padilla, James; Vélez-Rosado, Kevin I. (2020-02-12). "Early Oligocene chinchilloid caviomorphs from Puerto Rico and the initial rodent colonization of the West Indies". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 287 (1920): 20192806. doi:10.1098/rspb.2019.2806. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 7031660. PMID 32075529.
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